GR-1SF custom build, as a tribute to a Harmony H62.

[DarkMark]

What about a thin veneer under the tortoise shell you have so you only need one layer instead of three? Otherwise I’d take the putty approach, I don’t like the dark veneer. At least it’s not in an obvious visible spot.

[HarmonIser]

What about a thin veneer under the tortoise shell you have so you only need one layer instead of three? Otherwise I’d take the putty approach, I don’t like the dark veneer. At least it’s not in an obvious visible spot.

Stupid thing is that it's only 1mm gap - the timber veneer under some tortoise is a good idea, but then throws up another issue, so there's no perfect solution. I think I'll use filler in that 1mm gap...

[HarmonIser]

OK, so I've fallen into the "I've sanded enough, and gotten rid of all visible glue residue, which could stop stain getting into timber" trap, and realised that the only known way to truly find all imperfections, and glue residue is to stain the bloody thing, and then stand back cussing over and over again...

[HarmonIser]

After researching shellac, and it's application (basically, I found numerous people applying it in completely different ways, and youtube videos, of guys saying one way how to do it, then breaking their own rules in the process), so I figured, I'd just go for it...
Acquiring shellac flakes - easy enough, as long as you want orange (amber) flakes, which I do - good thing, as it's the only kind of flakes the BGS stocks. Obviously there are other varieties (blonde, whether dewaxed, or not, and a couple of darker, red shades), but ordering online, and/or in bulk, which that would require wasn't my preference.
Next step, was after researching the best solvent for it, was tracking down our Australian equivalent of denatured alcohol. Standard, (off the shelf from the BGS) metho was not recommended, due to a "profit before quality" mantra, which would mean shit results, with ridiculous "waiting for things to dry" times, I managed to find a local company that sells IMS (Industrial Metho), and they were happy to decant 1 litre, after I kindly declined their offer of my buying a 20l drum.

So, this arvo, after waiting a couple of days to make sure the shellac was totally dissolved, and I had time to just go for it, I prepped up, and put a few coats on the back and sides. I was worried with the already quite strident stain, (which I had tried to tame down by sanding, and all I really did was sand through some of the flame on the back, and front), that the addition of shellac, would make it darker - too dark. However, I think the addition of some shine, from even just a small amount of shellac, has actually made it appear lighter. Must be a trick of the light due to reflected sheen - I dunno. No doubt, given time, it will indeed go a bit darker, as shellac tends to amber up over time, but I guess the gradual creep won't hurt.
Here are a few progress shots, including one showing a bit of flame (I think Tas Oak) veneer I have roughly cut out to add to the headstock. It was naturally quite amber, so I just used the Coolangatta Gold, trying to get it closer to the body hue. Not sure, I may add a little more CG, but it's not going to be the same anyway, so I might just leave it as it is.
Next up, is to give the top some shellac coats, and the rout out the pickup holes, and drill holes for pots, and switch, and output jack, then prepare for gluing it up, and putting it all together.

I have been getting frustrated about the condition of this kit, (glue residue everywhere, poor workmanship, etc), which I understand is pretty typical for these kind of kits, and my being adamant about how I was going to finish it, made getting a great result virtually impossible. However, I have had to remind myself that I actually want this as a gigging guitar, not a showpiece, so I'm embracing all it's faults, and may even figure out how to add some more in the way of signs of wear n tear.... I guess only using the hell out of it will do that...

Back, which has a few shellac coats, hence a bit of a sheen developing



Front for comparison (in same light), without shellac...



Back, and flame eucalypt veneer, which has Coolangatta Gold stain added, for headstock (as yet unshaped),

[Simon Barden]

IMO it would be far better if they didn't put veneer on most of these guitar kits and left them plain, encouraging you to finish them a solid colour, this also allows you to fill and redrill holes etc. that have been put in the wrong place without worrying about ruining the veneer.

The kits that did have veneer should then carry a reasonable premium as they will have been lovingly veneered by a skilled craftsman with clean fingers, and would be easy to finish nicely.

Despite it being a lot more yellow than you wanted, I really like the colour. Looks more interesting to me than in the post before that.

[dozymuppet]

The top of that thing looks delicious. So it's got that going for it

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[HarmonIser]

IMO it would be far better if they didn't put veneer on most of these guitar kits and left them plain, encouraging you to finish them a solid colour, this also allows you to fill and redrill holes etc. that have been put in the wrong place without worrying about ruining the veneer.

The kits that did have veneer should then carry a reasonable premium as they will have been lovingly veneered by a skilled craftsman with clean fingers, and would be easy to finish nicely.

Despite it being a lot more yellow than you wanted, I really like the colour. Looks more interesting to me than in the post before that.

I've toned down the gold quite a bit, by mixing the Coolangatta Gold with same boring old Maple oil based stain from the local big Green Shed, maybe 3 parts Maple, 1 part Gold. I'm ok with the colour, (In fact, I'm liking it more I see it), though if I'd thought of cutting the pickup hole out, like DarkMark did on his flame veneer archtop, I'd have had some of the same material, to have been able to trial and error a bit, before adding the stain to the actual guitar. Another lesson learned - have some samples to trial tints on...
I wish I'd have known about the paper thin flame veneer before I had ordered it as an add-on to the custom kit - I would have stayed with plain, for sure - well, maybe.... Actually, I've never had a flame top before, and I was certainly up for it as an add-on, which was only an extra $20, so you live and learn! I have always loved battle-scarred guitars, so leave me with it long enough, and it'll be looking like a 60yo guitar, which is kind of what I was after all along....

I guess this whole buying a guitar kit (particularly, an archtop/setneck/flame veneer job), is a bit like an arranged marriage - you gotta learn to get along with the minuses, as well as the pluses....

[HarmonIser]

The top of that thing looks delicious. So it's got that going for it

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Cheers, it WAS looking delicious before I set to sanding/fixing up glue issues - I think I pulled out of the process early enough to endure a "good enough" finish, maintaining enough of the flame. I actually do like a nice figured top, but I'd never buy a guitar based on looks, as some people opt to do. It's gotta be a great player, so the proof will be in the pudding for me on this one. If I can't make it as good a player as I want, my backup plan is to make it kind of a Eddie Cochrane tribute, with a dogear P90 in the neck position, and some kind of Dynasonic knockoff in the bridge position, and flog it, and formulate a(nother) Plan B.

[HarmonIser]

Quick update - it's finally beginning to look like a guitar...
I finished levelling, crowning, and polishing frets, and glued a curly eucalypt veneer onto the headstock, drilled for tuners, and have some old Grovers I was given, to use. I have gone with the "imperfections", and am running with the concept of an "old" new guitar. I'm also using a vintage Gold bigsby B6 , one 1950s Gibson P13 pickup, and some old pots and knobs I have here. The only new parts, (apart from the kit), are a switch, output jack, and one of the pickups, which is a reproduction by Curtis Novak.

I'm not sure I'll keep the eucalypt veneer - it's similar to, but not the same colour as the body by any stretch of the imagination, but it was the first bit of veneer I found. Today I found what may pass as a Rosewood veneer, which I had safely tucked away in the shed, and I may yet use that, to get closer to the original H62 look.

Here's a couple pics of progress.




Top taped up to check neck alignment before preparing for pickup cutouts, shows the off-centre flame maple join....

[Simon Barden]

Looking nice to me.

I agree the headstock doesn't quite match the guitar body. It's not close enough in colour to be a match, and not different enough to be a contrast. Maybe try a darker stain first before changing veneers?